Dallas builds semi-big 3
In this trade idea, the Dallas Mavericks continue to build as they trade for Andre Drummond and Wayne Ellington, essentially for moving Harrison Barnes and Salah Mejri.
While this idea may seem like a linear move for Dallas, they have been reported by ESPN’s Zach Lowe to be shopping around Barnes, mostly because he won’t fit necessarily well with their newly acquired star Kristaps Porzingis and their coveted rookie Luka Doncic. Dallas has shopped Barnes, potentially looking for a young defensive anchor to help their new young stars, who would be better than a disgruntled 25-year-old big man, that is a potential All-Star, looking for a new scene?
Drummond has looked like a shell of himself all season long, but could recreate what Mark Cuban tried to do with DeAndre Jordan, but even better with the youth of Drummond. The fact of the matter is, the Mavs can’t trade for a young stud, and Drummond – or maybe Aaron Gordon – would be some of the only young, above average players they could tangibly acquire. Drummond isn’t quite an All-Star talent right now (2X All-Star), but would help build a semi-big 3 for Dallas for, at least, the next few seasons.
This would also allow Dallas to move on from Devin Harris as their backup guard, seamlessly moving Wayne Ellington into that spot, one of the better 3-point shooters in the league. The 2019-20 Mavs roster looks great in Doncic, Hardaway Jr., Finney-Smith, Porzingis, and Drummond.
That lineup alone is enough to get Dallas fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference for the next few seasons, making this a must-make move for Dallas.